The Better Sister Finale: Unpacking Chloe and Nicky's Wild Twists and a Shocking Death

Amazon Prime's new mystery show The Better Sister just landed, and if you, like me, blew through every episode in a single day, then you probably have a lot to talk about. The show promised a twisty ride, and it certainly delivered. The finale really brought everything we thought we knew crashing down, showing us that behind all the Hamptons glamour, there was a dark, complicated family keeping some huge secrets.

The story follows Chloe Taylor (Jessica Biel), a magazine executive whose life seems perfect until her high-powered lawyer husband, Adam (Corey Stoll), is found dead in their Hamptons home. The show does a great job of quickly making you wonder what is going on. Then, the police arrest Chloe and Adam’s son Ethan (Maxwell Acee Donovan) because his DNA shows up under Adam’s fingernails. This is where the first big surprise hits. The police contact Chloe’s estranged sister, Nicky (Elizabeth Banks), because she is actually Ethan’s biological mother. That is a pretty big bomb to drop in episode two, and it just kept getting wilder from there.

Chloe, who always saw herself as the "better sister" with her stable life and seemingly perfect family, views Nicky as a troubled addict. We learn that Nicky is Adam’s ex-wife, and they had Ethan together. Chloe was always told that Adam got full custody of Ethan after finding Nicky passed out drunk with baby Ethan nearly drowning. This narrative has been controlling their lives, but it is clear from the start that things are not as simple as they seem.

All The Shocking Revelations That Flipped The Script In The Better Sister's Final Moments

From Drugged Drinks To Ethan's Guilt, The Finale Left No Stone Unturned

The trial for Ethan is full of tense moments. Ethan tells his lawyer, Michelle Sanders (Gloria Reuben), that Nicky gave him a flip phone after his grandfather’s funeral. He was talking to Nicky regularly behind Chloe and Adam's backs. The prosecutor used this to argue that if Ethan hid the phone, he must be lying about other things. Then, the prosecutor revealed Ethan’s email was linked to a Reddit account with threatening messages about his father, even calling for Adam’s death. Ethan explains later that "there were times I wanted him gone." This made me, and probably many others, really start to doubt him.

In episode six, Chloe takes the stand. She opens up about a fight with Adam where he pushed her against the wall and she fell. She says he blamed her for pushing him into working at a law firm when he preferred public service. The episode ended with Sanders pointing out that there was no murder weapon and no blood from Ethan at the scene. This all built to the jury finding Ethan not guilty. But the show did not stop there. Oh no. The real surprises came after the verdict.

When Ethan gets home, he finds police records he asked for about the night he was taken from his mom. He was always told he almost drowned, but the report said there were no signs of water inhalation. It did say Nicky had Xanax, Ambien, and alcohol in her system. Then we see a flashback showing Adam crushing pills, mixing them with vodka and lemonade, and serving it to his wife. Nicky says she already knew she had been drugged. This was new information for Chloe, who then felt Adam's ghostly presence arguing he was just trying to get full custody and that Nicky would have likely killed Ethan anyway given her past struggles. This twist completely changed my view of Adam. He was not just a victim but a schemer.

Nicky's True Motive And The Dark Secrets Adam Had Been Hiding From Everyone

How A Sister's Protection Led To A Fatal Confrontation And More Cover-Ups

It turns out that the person Chloe thought was ruining her life is actually the one who saved it. Twelve hours before Adam’s death, Ethan told Nicky that he saw Adam push Chloe on their rooftop. He also said it was not the first time Adam had hurt her. This explains why Nicky quickly deleted the contents of the flip phone when Chloe found it earlier in the season. Nicky immediately drove from Ohio to the Hamptons. She waited outside their home until Adam arrived. She then followed him in to confront him. When Adam threatened to call the police, Nicky threatened to tell the police about what he did to Chloe, and that Ethan knew too. Adam grabbed Nicky’s arm and pushed her. That is when Nicky stabbed him in the neck with a pocket knife. This was a truly shocking reveal, but it made sense of so many moments throughout the season.

We then learn Ethan was trying to protect Chloe all along. His DNA was at the crime scene because he thought Chloe had killed Adam. He threw things around the living room to make it look like a break-in. This was his way of helping her. We also understand why Ethan told his lawyer he brought a gun to school. He was afraid to leave it in the apartment. He feared his dad would use it against his mom, or his mom would use it against his dad. He admits in the final episode that he felt guilty for not calling an ambulance when he saw Adam was still breathing. He chose to leave the house instead. This added another layer of complexity to Ethan's character. He was not just a confused kid but one carrying immense guilt and fear.

The Aftermath Of The Verdict And The Unraveling Of Other Characters' Secrets

Detective Guidry's Efforts To Uncover The Truth And The Final Fate Of The Villains

The show ends with only Chloe knowing that Nicky killed Adam. Detective Nancy Guidry (Kim Dickens) does figure it out later. She interviews Adam's mother and finds out Nicky told her Adam had been stabbed. This detail only the murderer would know. However, Guidry’s boss pulled her off the case. He thought Adam’s mother was an unreliable source. A news article had also just come out about Guidry’s history of mistakes in her detective work. This felt a bit like a convenient plot device to keep Nicky safe, but I appreciated Guidry's determination.

Chloe also gets involved in a scheme to frame Bill Braddock (who I call Bill) for Adam's murder. We see Chloe planting the pocket knife at Bill's home during a visit. This was a clever way to tie up loose ends and remove another bad guy. Bill was connected to the Gentry Group, an evil company involved in human trafficking and indentured servitude. Adam had been spying on them for the FBI. Jake Rodriguez, Adam's partner and Chloe's secret lover, was also involved. Jake was feeding information to the FBI before Bill's arrest. He tragically dies, his body washing up on a beach near the end. This suggests the Gentry Group likely killed him to keep him quiet. This could be a good setup for a second season, even though the show is based on a standalone novel.

The episode closes with Chloe and Nicky sitting on the beach, smoking cigarettes by a bonfire. They even talk about writing a book about their experiences. Chloe tells Nicky "I don’t have any story without you, not worth telling anyway." The sisters, who were once so far apart, are now closer than ever. This feels like the true core of the show. Their relationship, built on secrets and a shared trauma, becomes unbreakable. It is a powerful end to a story about sisters finding each other again through extreme circumstances.

What A Potential Second Season Could Explore After The Better Sister's Shocking Finale

New Threats And The Lingering Consequences For Chloe, Nicky, And Their Family

Even though Alafair Burke's book is a single story, Jake's death really sets up a path for a second season. If a new season happens, it could really dive into the aftermath of Jake's death. It could also connect it more deeply with Bill's arrest and the Gentry Group. This would give us more background on why Jake was killed and what it means for Bill, who is now being blamed for Adam's murder. This could also offer more details about the Gentry Group's dark activities.

Chloe, Nicky, and Ethan would definitely not be out of danger. Chloe was helping the FBI with their investigation into the Gentry Group, giving them files from Adam's computer. This means she was part of trying to take them down. If the Gentry Group found out, they might come after Chloe and her family. This would bring a whole new level of threat to the show. It would be a great way to continue the story, building on the first season's themes of secrets and family ties. A new murder mystery could easily be waiting to be solved. This would allow the show to keep going beyond its original source material. I would definitely watch to see what else these sisters get into and how they handle new dangers now that they are truly a team.